Can Anything Replace the Joy of Moto?

Only thing I’ve ever done that compares is short track racing. I did regular oval stuff for a few years, street stocks, pro trucks, etc. The one that really mirrors moto as far as intensity and unpredictability is the enduro racing I’ve taken up most recently. 100 laps, 100+ cars, no cautions.

This looks awesome! What is your car setup? Looks pretty basic/ affordable….When I”m in Florida for the winters, I am 20 minutes from Palm Beach International Raceway, thought about something like a spec miata or similar….then PBIR closed😂

This is at Cleetus Mcfarland’s track, the Freedom Factory. I grew up 10 minutes down the road and spent every weekend there in my childhood.  

This is the “Altima 600” event he puts on twice a year. Only rules is that it has to be a Nissan Altima, and it must be stock. Mine’s a 2018, I wanted a 3.5 really bad, but I got this 4 banger from a Chinese restaurant for an absolute steal and we gutted everything except the center console, drivers seat, and dash. I took an old (expired) 5 point harness out of a friends old Street Stock and installed it in the car.

Other than safety, the 5 point keeps you up in the seat on the banking where a standard belt will wear you out just keeping yourself upright. Using a 5 point also allows me to use my Hans Device as well. Safety is lax, only a helmet, gloves, and long sleeves are required. I still use a Firesuit and all the stuff because the last thing I will do is burn alive in a race car.  I have a bad ass ex Clint Bowyer Sparco Firesuit from when he was at RCR in the 33 car. 

Here’s a pic of my car. My dad always did his number in the diamond plate look on his racecars, and I did the pink outline and flame as a nod to my favorite driver who passed away a few years ago, Scott Bloomquist. This was before the last one back in January, it got pretty roughed up but still drove from 61st to 11th and blew my RF on the last lap. 

My radio, air conditioning, and backup camera all still work too! I keep a phone charger in it, throw my phone in the center console, and then pull it out under red flag to text my dad in the stands or check live timing.

Where do u live in Canada - buy a trials bike and hit the club scene. Friendly folks, it's cheap compared to moto and fun as hell. A typical trial - arrive, a little warm up..........3-4 hour trial and head home or hang and have a pint. I've road raced, moto and raced jet skies. Nothing happens faster than when on a trials bike in a tight section doing 4l mph lol.  

That sounds like a lot of fun!!! 

I bmx, MTB, snowboard and surf BUT there is nothing that tops Moto.  I have found nothing that compares to that ride home endorphin release after moto and the desire to do it all over again. It never leaves, even after 40 years of doing it. Shaboinking is close but over way too quickly…. 

Off-road helped scratch the itch. 2 hours of pounding whoops and no waiting for 3 classes of minis.

“Good sex takes minutes to finish, while a good race can take hours to finish. Choose wisely”

For me it’s cycling. 

Road cycling, cyclocross or XC. 

I recognise now that the thing I liked most about moto was turning myself inside out with effort. 

I get the same buzz and dopamine from high intensity cycle rides. 

Funnily enough, a fast road cycle had a faster average sped than a moto too. 

I tried to replace moto with mountain biking, but mtb racing was too pain-focused for me. I’ll accept the criticism that maybe I was doing it wrong, but it seemed like the racer who could endure the most pain (and inflict pain on their competition) would prevail, while moto was about who had the biggest balls and best technique.

I enjoy Mtn biking….road cycling is just torture to me…. i still do it, as I enjoy suffering a bit…but it’s never been fun for me….

Replace...tough call. (Jaun is not too far off haha) But I recently got back into BMX and it has been a blast. The new bike parks they are building are pretty awesome. They have multiple lines so you can progress safely. I also bought an enduro MTB so looking forward to when the MTB lifts start running. But I do still plan on riding some moto. Just not as much or as serious as in the past. 

Here is me riding last weekend at a local spot in Palmdale, Ca (called The U) at the ripe old age of 58 on my BMX bike (22" wheels). 

You guys need to work on your technique a bit

Still do Moto, but Snowbiking is amazing.  Especially if you live in Canada......it will give you access to that dirt cycle all year round!!!!

That looks amazing. I wish someone did that here in SoCal....

Was in your position not too long ago at the end of my 20s. Had a street bike and had fun canyon carving, but that just never quite felt the same as moto. Eventually sold the street bike, got a dirtbike again and picked right back up where I left off ~10 years prior. Broke some bones. Spent a bunch of money. Fixed a couple of other bikes. Started going to pro races again to watch the big dogs. Met awesome people. Fully immersed myself back in the sport I grew up on. Still having fun today.

Would have never been able to scratch the itch if I tried something else. There is no substitute to moto. Now go get that bike.

I'm trying to find the feeling of road racing/track days in riding moto/off-road. I find it pretty difficult (given my skill) to find the flow state that I was accustomed to on road courses. If it's in the budget, I'd highly recommend giving it a shot. That's the only reason I'm not still doing it.

I agree with this. When I first started riding I told myself it would be cool to be able to rip a corner or whip the bike well. Those goals got ticked, and I found myself always happier after riding and came to the same realization.  Riding takes away the mental tug of war.  It allows your mind and body to completely relax after being worked in the best way. I was injured 5 years ago and have yet to find the "replacement".  

Working out daily helps but does not come close to moto and that workout.  I am looking into a bowhead reach as that will be as close as i can get.  For myself the other sport that was the exact opposite was golf. It was the perfect combatant to the chaos of racing. 

Powered paragliding.  2-stroke engine is an added bonus!

I started racing road bicycles after I quit racing MX and managed to get to a pretty high level - did 5 seasons in France , a year in Australia and a few years in the US before an injury forced me to quit .

Obviously very different but I’d say that replaced moto for me well, sometimes wish I’d started a lot younger and focused just on that.

The feeling you get when you’re riding dudes off your wheel on a steep climb with ease or putting 100+ guys  in to the gutter is hard to replace - or explain until you’ve done it. 

I'm there with ya and hear you! Right now is so bad when it is getting a bit warmer, but the ground is frozen so you still can't ride... well. Seems like it's getting close and then bam - 2ft of snow.

Where are you in Canada? I do quite a bit of sledding and snowboarding in the winters, but it is getting harder and harder to do on a regular basis because of costs on accommodations, tickets, food. It's just not as accessible for me as I am 2 hours away from anything decent. You think racing motorcycles is expensive, go to a ski resort every weekend...

We will make it brotha, we are close!

I can't imagine how terrible that would be when it is -35 on the ground...

He's in Canada... You can't road race in the winter.

But you reminded me of something else. Ice racing. I used to do it 5-10 yrs ago the couple times a year they would run races around here on the frozen lakes. It's a blast.

I race go carts once a month,I race bmx, ride downhill mountain bikes with my son, and do Jiujitsu. I was always a lot better on a bicycle than a motorcycle, so I can get the same type of rush on a mountain bike. Go carts are a similar rush, but obviously a different feeling. 

Might as well just buy a sled. They are about the same price and then you aren't houring out your bike as bad. It's also really hard on them.

So it’s definitley not as good as moto, and it’s definitely expensive, but man you live in Canada I can’t believe you aren’t skiing.

East coast you are close to Tremblant, Jay Peak, La Massif de Charlevoix, Mont-Sainte-Anne.

If moto is a 10, skiing is an 8 for me. It gets me through the winter and when it’s warm enough to ride im over skiing and ready to ride.

However, theres nothing like trying to go fast through glades (trees), throwing powder, getting a hell of a leg workout, and sending some drops/jumps. Hell of an adrenaline rush too.

Snowboarding is cool too I just think it’s harder to snowboard as you get up in age.

If I didn’t ski, winter would suck! 

I get where you are at, as other than this winter I'm normally buried in snow and cold here in Montana just like you in Canada, eh...

To get through it I typically have done three things.

#1 was a sled. After my last one the wife put her foot down and that's now the one thing I am not allowed to have. There are bad days on a sled, but when you hit that one perfect day a year it makes up for all 364 of the shitty ones! But really, my wife had a point because...

#2 is take a trip or two (or three). I have three day weekends every other week, so with an added vacation day I will do a trip down I-15 and go spend 2 days riding in St. George, UT or somewhere a bit farther south if necessary. On super short notice I will bail to southern Idaho for a quick ride as necessary to clear my head space. The reason the sled is now gone is I'd buy a new one, then ride it 4 whole times a a season because I was either prepping for a bike trip, on a bike trip, or fixing stuff from after a bike trip.

#3 is to have alone time in the garage/shop fixing up something. Built up a nice '95 KX250 one winter and sold to a buddy that vintage races, restomodded a 1972 Kawasaki F7 for myself, did a 93 YZ250 this winter for a coworker, and have two projects already lined up for next winter: a 92 KDX250 and an 86 ZG1000 Concours of which both have personal attachments for me (KDX) or my dad (the Connie). It may not be riding, but going all the way down the bare frames and reassembling with care takes a lot of the edge off! When I get a LOT of spare winter time I've got a 1974 Ford Bronco sitting out back waiting to get restored from the frame up.

Hare scrambles is what I've moved to, more riding than you really want in a weekend, and is really fun once you get into the right class. Nothing like racing a pack of guys for over an hour before you either break away or get gapped. Usually I end up kind of by myself the last 30 minutes or so, but the lappers keep it exciting. 

Completely false.

I am in the industry.  You can get a good used kit for $2500 and be riding.  

Most of the time when I get inside an engine that has been on a snowbike they look much better than a bike with the same hours on dirt.  Moisture is the enemy and the don't get dirt in them.

I just did a top end on a bike that had 250 hours.....all snowbike.  Looked brand new.  Clean oil and clean air are your friends.

Maybe suggest the butthole thing to her as well?